You DO think I'm beautiful, don't you, Charlie Brown?
... You didn't answer me. You had to think about it first. Didn't you? If you really didn't have to think about it you would've answered me right away. I know when I've been insulted. I KNOW WHEN I'VE BEEN INSULTED.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Finally Finished

Well, I started it on April 25th and finished It's Your Ship May 25th. It really was a great book on managing people. Much better than any of the other books I've read. Here's a little more of what I learned from the Cap'n.

One of the big things Captain Abrashoff talks about is building up your people. You have to make sure they know you care about them and what they're doing and that you feel this on a very personal level. It's super important to make sure that you recognize the good things people do when they do them. It's not as effective if you wait. In a workplace setting, that means you can't wait until annual reviews. In a personal setting, it means you shouldn't wait until everyone has forgotten what you're even talking about.

The other thing that I really liked in the book was the idea of generating unity. One aspect of this is making sure that you tell people they've done things wrong when they do them. You can't wait arount to discipline people and you have to be as fair as possible. When people see that you are quick to punish and that you are fair about it, they will rally around you. It's also important to listen to their ideas and implement what you can while removing any roadblocks that may be in the way. This builds everyone's confidence and helps them to love what they do.

He also talked a lot about having fun. I think that everyone needs to have more fun. I know that it's one of the things that brought my family together growing up and it's a great way to build unity at work. I think I'll start with some grilling. That's always fun!